Museum of Fine Arts Boston Head of Objects Conservation Pam Hatchfield removes a metal lid from a time capsule at the museum, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015, in Boston. The original capsule was made of cowhide and believed to have been embedded in a cornerstone when construction on the state Capitol building began in 1795. The contents were shifted to a metal box in 1855 which was unearthed last month at the Statehouse. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

BOSTON (AP) — Early residents of Boston valued a robust press as much as their history and currency if the contents of a time capsule dating back to the years just after the Revolutionary War are any guide.

When conservators at the Museum of Fine Arts gingerly removed items from the box Tuesday, they found five tightly folded newspapers, a medal depicting George Washington, a silver plaque, two dozen coins, including one dating to 1655, and the seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The capsule was embedded in a cornerstone of the Massachusetts Statehouse when construction began in 1795. It was placed there by Revolutionary era luminaries including Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, governor of Massachusetts at the time.

The contents were shifted to a second box in 1855 and put back.

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